[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 95 (Thursday, July 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1489-E1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN REMEMBRANCE OF J.J. ``JAKE'' PICKLE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 12, 2005

  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to one of 
the giants of this institution and the State of Texas, a man who 
recently passed away, former Congressman J.J. ``Jake'' Pickle. Cancer 
finally beat him on June 18, 2005 and anyone who knew Congressman 
Pickle knew he did not quit on anything and fought until the end. His 
relentless approach to politics and life earned him the respect and 
admiration of the 10th Congressional District he served so well and his 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle. First elected in a special 
election in 1963, Congressman Pickle served 16 terms until stepping 
down in 1995. During his service in Washington, he chaired the House 
Subcommittee on Social Security and was instrumental in implementing 
improvements that ensured the trust fund's long term solvency for 
decades to come.
  Too often, the term public servant is casually used for any person 
who worked in the public sector, but Congressman Pickle personified 
every facet of the phrase. Congressman Pickle distinguished himself in 
a variety of service positions, beginning as the University of Texas 
student body president, as a member of the National Youth 
Administration, and as organizational secretary for the State 
Democratic Executive Committee. After being elected to Congress, he 
relished returning to his district whenever possible and upon boarding 
the plane would walk up and down the aisles as if he were working a 
campaign rally and shake everyone's hand and talk to them. Learned at 
the knee of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Congressman Pickle's 
politics hailed from an era still shaped by the Great Depression and 
small-town America, a time in which connecting with constituents was a 
must.
  Campaigning was a full contact sport in the best sense of the phrase, 
and every 2 years, he would outwork much younger campaign aides and 
sought to meet every voter in his district. For Congressman Pickle, 
politics was a person-to-person enterprise, and he would talk to his 
constituents and find out their cares and concerns. Full of stories and 
a smile for everyone, he would engage every person in his path no 
matter if he happened upon them in the halls of the Capitol or in the 
streets of Austin.
  Of course, his influence here in Washington greatly benefited Austin 
and Central Texas as he was crucial in ensuring funding for the 
University of Texas, his alma mater, and helped it become the world 
class facility it is today. Congressman Pickle fought to make sure his 
district and his state received their fair share. The university 
benefited in the millions of dollars he steered into its research, 
technological, and educational programs, and this was pivotal in making 
Austin one of our Nation's centers for high-tech enterprises such as 
Dell computers.
  However, the vote Congressman Pickle was proudest of was the one he 
cast in favor of the 1964 Civil Rights Bill, which he thought would end 
his career. As one of six southern

[[Page E1490]]

Representatives who voted for that landmark piece of legislation, he 
thought voting his conscience and his principles would make him a one 
term Congressman. Thankfully that was not the case as he was given the 
opportunity to work tirelessly and use his unique set of skills in 
service of his district and Nation. We have truly lost a great 
American, and we are the poorer for it. Tonight, my prayers and 
thoughts are with the thousands of lives he touched and his family.

                          ____________________